'Lesson in murder 101'

UPDATE: 2:30 p.m.

Roxanne Louie's uncle described the killing of his niece as a "lesson in murder 101" after Grace and Pier Robotti were sentenced Tuesday. 

"Cover your tracks, go with your lawyer to turn yourself in, get rid of the murder weapon and the lightest sentence possible here," said Dan Wilson. 

Grace was sentenced to a mandatory life sentence with eligibility of parole in 10 years for the second-degree murder of Louie, while her brother Pier was given a 27 month sentence for indignity to human remains, after he dumped Louie's body off of a forestry road at the request of his sister. 

"The loss of Roxanne Louie has left a never-to-filled void," said Justice Dev Dley. "There are no words that this court can impress to provide solace to those who have suffered the loss of a precious life.

"The joys to be experienced by a mother and child have forever been destroyed."

Wilson said the loss of Louie, a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band, has been "devastating" to their family and community. 

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, described the case as a "another tragic page in the history of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls."

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UPDATE: 12:00 p.m.

Justice Dev Dley has sentenced Pier Robotti to 27 months in prison for indignity to a body, for his role in dumping Roxanne Louie’s. He was given three months credit for time already served.

Grace Robotti received a mandatory life sentence, with eligibility for parole in 10 years. She is 67 years old. 

More to come…

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UPDATE: 11:10 a.m.

Grace and Pier Robotti sat in the accused box at Supreme Court in Kelowna, awaiting sentencing Tuesday, as friends and family of Roxanne Louie packed the gallery.

Grace was found guilty of second-degree murder by a 12-person jury on April 6 for killing Louie, the mother of her great-grandson.

Pier previously pleaded guilty to indignity to a body, for dumping Louie's body off a forestry road near Naramata.

Second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, with eligibility for parole between 10 and 25 years. The Crown recommended Grace be eligible for parole in the minimum 10 years.

The Crown and Pier's defence counsel entered a joint submission for Pier's sentence of 27 months, minus three months of time already served.

Several of Louie's friends and family members left the courtroom, visibly distraught, as Crown prosecutor John Swanson read out the circumstances of the case.

Grace and Pier both apologized for their actions and expressed remorse.

“My life, like many people, has had its highs and lows. It's been mostly unremarkable, quiet and private, and I'm not perfect, but I'm not a heartless monster as I've been portrayed,” Grace told the court. “Never in my worst nightmares could I have imagined that one day I would be involved in anything so devastating and unthinkable.”

Grace addressed her great-grandson, Louie's son, who she called “a ray of sunshine in the lives of everyone who knows and loves you.”

“You will hear things that are hard to hear or understand, and you will have questions,” she said. “I have faith that those in both your families who are closest to you and have only your interests at heart will work together to answer those hard questions.”

Justice Dev Dley took a morning break following Crown and defence's submissions to deliberate. He is expected to deliver his sentencing for both Grace and Pier this afternoon.  

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ORIGINAL: 5 a.m.

Sentencing for Grace and Pier Robotti is expected to come down this morning in Kelowna's B.C. Supreme Court chambers, following Pier's guilty plea to interfering with a body and Grace's conviction of second-degree murder.

The pair were implicated in the death of 26-year-old Roxanne Louie, the mother of Grace's great-grandson, in a January 2015 fight which led to Grace hitting Louie over the head 26 times with a crowbar.

The Robotti and Louie families and their supporters have endured a lengthy trial, described by Louie family spokesperson Dan Wilson as moving at a "snail's pace."

After dumping Louie's body in the bush, the Robotti siblings turned themselves in to police, beginning the two-plus-year court process.

The process was plagued with delays over the years, including a search for a new lawyer and a successful application to move the trial to Kelowna from Penticton due to lacking security in Penticton's courthouse and media exposure in the city.

Previously set to go to trial together, the pair's defence parted ways, with Pier's trial held first, followed by Grace's trial. The proceedings of the former have been under wraps due to a publication ban to prevent Pier's trial from swaying the jury in Grace's.

Grace's 12-day trial set out with an admission to killing Louie with a crowbar, but her defence argued the attack was in self-defence.

Louie reportedly went "berserk" prior to her death, approaching Grace with a crowbar, which Grace was able to pry away from Louie after Pier held her down. She told the court she didn't know why she didn't dispose of the crowbar after gaining control of it.

“I was out of control, and I'm responsible for the end result at the end of the day," Grace reportedly told police the day after her 2015 arrest.

Ultimately, the 12-person jury was to decide whether or not Grace striking Louie 26 times in the head with the crowbar was the result of self-defence or whether there was intent to kill. That jury found her guilty of second-degree murder the same day they set out to deliberate.

With Grace's sentencing set for today (Tuesday), Pier's sentencing, originally slated for Apr. 10, was put off to coincide with his sister's. Until then, the siblings are out of police custody on bail.